Tangled Up In Me
by WaterGirl14
Summary: NOW REVISED: Danny and Sam are in their final few weeks of summer vacation, and Danny's back from Italy. Will sparks fly?
1. The Web We Weave :LONG:

Well here it is! I've revised it a bit and now it's coming back for your enjoyment!

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As the water in the stall began to get warm, Samantha Manson stepped into the shower and grabbed her shampoo. She squirted the white goop onto her palm and hummed as she washed a nights worth of muck out of her raven locks. Sam felt her spirits rise and got very un-Goth giddiness as she seemed to scrub out her day's troubles. The CD player in her room was barely audible in this large, marble-tiled bathroom. Sam rinsed out the suds and turned off the water. She stepped onto the cool tiles and wrapped a towel strategically around her body. _Even though there's no need._ Sam thought as she shuffled out the door to her room. _My parents aren't home. The staff has vacation this week. Who'd see me if I didn't wear the towel?_

She giggled. The temptation was great, but instead she walked toward the corner of her room. Her CD player moved onto the next song. Still, Sam felt giddy. She felt like doing something different. _Who knows? Maybe, for once, I'll get noticed this summer. I wonder what Danny's doing right now._ "He's probably hanging with _Paulina_." Sam let out a disapproving noise as she crossed the room and opened her closet door.

Sam walked into her closet that dim gloomy morning and flicked on the light. She rustled through the bottommost drawer on the left side and pulled it open. The dust, not wanting to be disturbed after so long, flared up and floated all around Sam's clean body. "Great. This dust'll probably never come off." She pulled out one of her dresses. In fact, it was the dress she wore to the dance. Sam dropped her towel and began slipping on the dress.

Its memory intruded into her head. The sixteen-year-old Ultra-Recyclo-Vegetarian stopped putting her dress on long enough to think about it. She remembered the fight she had with Paulina. Erg, she hated that shallow witch. She remembered the necklace Danny had given _her_. That evil person Danny was so fond of. Her._ And not me._ She thought with a little scorn. Only after the thought passed through her mind did she realize what just happened. "I'm not jealous." She assured herself. The memory replayed itself again and she remembered that dance she and Danny had shared. She remembered telling him to not lose his pants, and she remembered the way his hair had looked, the way his voice had sounded, the way his hands rested on her hips...

_Whoa...Hold up Sam!_ She threw her dress on fully, quickly, and looked in her mirror. _Bad thoughts Sam. BAD THOUGHTS. Danny is your_ friend. _Friend_. She grabbed a brush and ran it through her hair, grabbing a rubber band and setting her hair into its usual style. Sam stepped back and surveyed her reflection. "Ick." She commented, and ripped the rubber band in two, letting her hair cascade down into a freer style.

"Danny is your friend." She told herself, interrogating her reflection. The teasing voice in her head, feeling left out, decided to make a smart-aleck remark.

_Well, if he's just your friend, explain what you were doing behind those bushes after Valerie attacked Danny._

_It was a fake-out-make-out! And that was a long time ago!_

_Sure. Two years is totally a long time. And you definitely couldn't have done anything else._

_Well I_ was _panicked!_

_Yeah, and you certainly didn't enjoy doing that. Oh, and what about Ember?_

_That wasn't my fault! Shut up! Why am I arguing with myself! That's totally something Dan-_

_Ha!_ The little voice said, before Sam mentally pounded it to bits with a hammer. Sam walked out of her closet and flopped onto her bed. She sighed and rolled onto her stomach. It was 9:00. She was going to see if she could go back to sleep.

-----------------

As Sam was waking, another was preparing to sleep for the night. Danny yawned and dragged himself into the hotel bed. This trip to Italy really had him beat. Especially since he'd been stuck in the same room as Dash and Kwan. Oy. Danny just _had_ to go to summer camp this year, didn't he?

His roommates had spent the whole day playing football with the Italian boys, and had stopped bullying him about an hour ago. They were asleep.

Danny thought about Amity. His dad had deactivated the Fenton Portal a few weeks ago, so he was not really worried about and ghosts attacking in his absence. He missed his house. He missed his family, surprisingly. Even Jazz. And he missed his friends. Especially Sam. She had this way of comforting him when he was down. Danny rolled over and closed his eyes. They were going home tomorrow morning. He'd soon be able to see everyone again.

---------------

Sam ended up sleeping most of that day. She couldn't explain it, but after she woke up from her 'nap', it was 3:00 in the afternoon. Sam looked over at the clock and_ still_ didn't want to get up, so she rolled over. Before closing her eyes, she saw movement in front of her. Her eyelids stopped their descent and Sam bolted upright.

"Hey Sammy!" A familiar voice said, and strong arms wrapped around the teenager.

"Yah!" Went the Goth. She jumped and her mother clutched her heart as though it pained her.

"My goodness, Sam, you look like you've just seen a ghost." She sat down in one of Sam's black beanbags that were scattered around and smoothed out her green work suit. _I wish._ Thought the rudely awakened girl, who rolled over and tried to block out the sound of her mother's voice. Mrs. Manson looked out into the hallway and called to her husband. "Richard! Sam's awake!"

"Don't get me wrong," Sam groaned to her mother, "It's great to see you and all but I really wanna--" Sam sat up again. "What exactly are you doing here anyway? You aren't supposed to come back for another three weeks!" Mr. and Mrs. Manson smiled.

"Well Sam..." Her father began, resting his arms on the shoulders of his wife, "Actually, we're not staying for very long. We've got to go back on our trip soon and we stopped in to say hi." Sam's shoulders visibly drooped. "But," he continued, "We are staying for all of today, and since we are, we wanted to spend time with our favorite daughter." Sam became as perky as she could possibly be as her parents led her out to their car.

--------------------------

Danny was packed and ready for the trip back home even before the chaperones were awake. He stuffed into various suitcases all his souvenirs from the foreign country. He practically floated around the room, unable to hide his glee as the time to leave got closer and closer. With nothing else to do for the two hours before his roommates would be up, he sat down on the nice, cozy couch and stared at the ceiling.

"Now what?" He muttered. Danny held his hand out over his face. He made his fingers glow, one at a time, with ectoplasm. Then he lay down on the couch, his legs hanging out over the sides. The young Fenton closed his eyes and imagined what would go on when he got back.

Well, for starters, Tucker was in Florida, so he most likely wouldn't be involved. But Danny's family would be there. His mom would come up and give him a big hug, and say, "We missed you Danny!" His dad would use one of his inventions and check Danny's luggage for ghosts. Danny would stay FAR away when he did that. Jazz would probably look bored, but be glad to see him on the inside.

And there would be one other person there too. She would have beautiful raven hair and amethyst eyes. She'd give him a friendly hug and then tell him something casual like how boring the summer was. If Tucker had been there he probably would have made some sarcastic remark about the hug, and Sam would get all defensive and Danny would be the peacemaker. But Tucker wouldn't be there.

Nothing unusual there. Nope. Just Fenton's being Fenton's, and Danny being Danny, and Sam being beautiful, smart, fantastic Sam. Danny's blue eyes shone in the darkness for a moment. _Man, I just wish I could tell Sam how I really feel about her. And there's so much that I don't know about her yet..._

Dash and Kwan took this opportunity to pour a cup of water on Danny's head.

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* * *

Sam parked her new car, a '67 Pontiac with real gold paint, in her large garage. She pressed the horn, just to see what sound it would make. A grin split her face when it played a cheesy custom sound. She stepped out of the beautiful vehicle and admired it. Her parents had driven to the airport and were on their way to Vermont, or something. She didn't care anymore where her parents were going or when they'd be home. Sam dug out her house keys and added the silver key to her key ring. Then she went inside.

"It's not like I don't care for my parents anymore. I do." She told no one in particular as she walked up the stairs. The air grew colder and she shivered, wrapping her arms around her. It was the middle of summer. Why did she feel so chilled? A few minutes later, when she reached her room, she noticed the new vending machine that her parents had installed today. It had the Coke emblem on it. Her parents had filled it with her favorite drinks, and a couple granola bars.

_They probably think I'm anorexic. _She thought darkly. Sam kicked it. The cold did not go away when Sam shut her windows and closed her door. She waited a few more moments but still the chill remained in the air. She dismissed the possibility that it could be a ghost. Danny was on a plane coming home from Europe and the Fenton Portal had been deactivated for at least a month. Sam threw her jacket onto the floor and dived under the covers of her purple bed. She shivered for a few moments and waited for the covers to warm up a little, but they didn't. Sam stared out the window and saw the crescent moon peek over the tops of the trees.

_Maybe there IS a ghost in here. _Sam concluded. The Goth half expected that looney, The Box Ghost, to appear and start causing 'havoc'. But nothing appeared. To be safe, Samantha pulled the covers over her and took off her dress. She heard no ghostly giggling. She heard nothing, in fact. So why did she feel so cold? Sam then had a compulsion. She reached a hand out to her desk and grabbed her cell phone.

---------------

"Oh. Crap." Danny Phantom said as he was hovering over the sink in Sam's bathroom. _So much for your advice,_ _Tucker_. He silently remarked to his friend. _"Oh, well if you just sneak into her house when you get home, then I'm sure you'll find out all you need to know." _Danny turned into a human and deftly landed in Sam's shower, then removed his own cell phone from his pocket. It was ringing quite loudly and he was positive that Sam had heard it.

"Hello?" He answered, thinking that Tucker was wondering how his spying was going.

"Danny?" A feminine voice replied, stricken with concern. Danny froze. Sam was calling him. _Act natural, stupid! _

"Oh, hey Sam." He responded casually, going ghost as he said the words. "Whatcha doing?" Danny turned invisible and phased through the bathroom door, hiding his phone and sulking in a corner in Sam's room.

"Nothing much. How long do you think it'll be before you get home?" Danny saw Sam ask.

"Well, I am home already!" That was half true. He'd gotten home about two hours ago. Sam stood up and got out of her bed, a blanket serving as a nightgown.

"Really? Um, then do you think you could come over? Just for awhile? Please?" She said, the worry in her voice coming through both the phone and in Danny's ears.

"Sam? Are you OK?" He asked, worried. She'd shown no apparent distress when he'd followed her in here. He phased through the wall, unnoticed, and sped off for his house, but stopped halfway when he heard no reply. "Sam? Sam!"

"What? Oh, um...yeah, I'm OK. It's just that it got cold in here all of a sudden and...I shouldn't have asked. It's stupid. I thought there was a ghost in here." He heard her nervous laugh. Danny turned paler than usual._ Great, so she could tell I was in there. Yay. I hope she didn't figure out it was me.  
_  
-----------------

"I guess you don't have to come over then." Sam remarked into her phone. She looked at her feet as she said this, and crawled back into her bed.

"No, no, it's OK Sam. I'll be over in a few minutes." His voice comforted her, and she felt much better. The cold was dissipating, and her blanket was no longer needed. She dropped it on the floor.

"See you, Sam." She heard his phone click off.

"See you Phantom." She said to the air, in a whisper. Sam turned off her own phone and listened to her CD player, which had been left on by accident this afternoon. _Skye Sweetnam is the most awesome singer ever._ She listened to the words of the song for a little while. It was track 3, Tangled Up In Me.

Sam felt a breeze as her window, left open a crack, let in a jet of cold air. Though the summer heat was beginning to return to the room, she still felt a bit chilled. Sam looked down. Shouldn't her dress keep out the wind?

Oh yeah. She'd taken off her dress. Sam threw on a nightgown just as Danny appeared and rapped on the window.

Sam opened the widow, even though she knew he could phase through it. "Hi Danny!" She exclaimed when she saw his familiar ghost suit. Danny looked stern, and slightly worried. "What's wrong?" Sam asked him, sitting on her bed and wrapping herself in her comforter.

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

Danny floated through the window and reverted back to his human form. Sam looked at his shining blue eyes and was lost in them. "I-I told you Danny." A blush came over her face. "I was-was coming up to my room and it got c-cold, just like it is now..." It was true. Danny's ghostly presence had lowered the already cool room about 20 degrees. "I th-think it was a ghost." The boy's face turned considerably pale. Then it got very red as he blushed and grinned a little. Sam looked quite puzzled.

"What's gotten into you?"

"Oh...nothing." Danny came and sat down on the blanket-covered Sam's left side. Sam's face erupted into a very dark red blush. "I think the question is..." He remarked as he scootched a little closer. "...What's gotten into _you?_" Sam pulled her arms out from under the blanket and pushed him off the bed. Then she giggled.

"_That_ is what's gotten into me, Danny Fenton."

Danny smiled, in spite of the fact that he'd been knocked onto his butt by the girl he liked. _Not_ _liked_. He admitted. _Loved_. Their eyes met and they laughed awkwardly. But they didn't break the gaze.

The pools that were each other's eyes captivated them both. Had someone walked into the room right about then, they'd have seen a black haired boy in a white shirt on the floor, staring at a raven haired girl who was wrapped up in a blanket, staring at him. It would seem completely innocent, except for the fact that it was midnight and that she was dressed in an oversized t-shirt.

"You know, Danny," Sam said, realizing the situation they were in, "If my parent's were here, they'd be wondering what a boy is doing in my room at midnight." She leaned a bit towards him and smirked a very large smirk. She saw him go bright red.

The halfa sputtered out an answer but Sam couldn't make much sense of it. She laughed quietly and Danny turned his head towards the window. Sam followed his gaze and noticed that the moon had moved up past the trees, illuminating Danny's face. A familiar ring of light appeared around Danny's waist, and he turned back into his phantom form. The scraggly white hair and black jumpsuit were two things that always made him feel a little more secure. _Not that it's helping right now._ He thought. Danny hugged his knees to his chest and looked at the moon for a moment.

He leaned back and put his hands behind his head. "Hey Sam?"

"Hmm?"

"I have a question to ask you."

"OK, shoot."

"Suppose…" Danny didn't quite know how to start. "Suppose that you had a friend, and they've been your best friend for a long time. And…suppose you got a crush on this friend, say, oh, in 7th grade or so?" _Man I hope she doesn't suspect anything. _

"Danny, I don't get where this is heading." Sam said, pulling herself off the oversized mattress and letting the comforter droop a little, even though the familiar cold was coming back again.

"And, say that this friend, you weren't sure if they liked you back." Danny said softly, sitting up off the floor and leaning against Sam's bed frame.

"…OK…" Sam leaned closer to her friend in order to hear him better.

"And…say…maybe…that this friend didn't like you…and…" Danny's voice trailed off and Sam leaned even closer to him.

_Oops. _Sam lost her balance and landed right on Danny, crumpled up in a most awkward position. They looked at each other, looked at themselves, and separated. FAST.

"Heh, s-sorry Danny. Didn't mean to, you know, land on you or anything." They both stood up.

_Yeah. TOTAL accident._ Said the annoying voice in her head, in a rather sarcastic tone.

Danny made towards the window. "Well, I guess I'd better be going. If my parents decide to check up on me, well, that would be bad." He smiled, the reality of that magically erasing the incident. "G'Night Sam." HE phased through her wall and she watched him speed away.

"Good night, Danny."

Sam clambered back in bed and let out a heaving sigh, her CD player finally turning off.

------------------

Danny zipped home and phased into his room. "Erg! Why couldn't I just tell her! Why? Why!" Danny turned human and fell backwards onto his bed. "Oh, I remember why. BECAUSE IT WOULD TOTALLY SCREW UP OUR RELATIONSHIP!" Danny rolled over. _I can save all of Amity from ghosts of all shapes and sizes, yet I can't do the simplest thing and ask out my crush!_ He groaned.

"Honey?" He heard his mom say through the door. "Is everything OK in there?"

Danny sighed. "No, Mom, everything is _not_ OK. In fact, it's far from OK." He pulled the sheets over him and covered his head with his pillow. He heard the door click open and the weight on his bed shift as his mother sat down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She said, concern making itself obvious as she stroked his eyebrows in a comforting manner. "Does it have to do with school?" Danny shook his head. "With the trip?" Another shake. "With…a girl?"

Danny shot up. "How did you—"

"I'm a mom. I know these things." Mrs. Fenton smiled warmly and stroked her son's dark hair. "So who's the lucky lady?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Danny felt like crying. He leaned on his mother for support, something he hadn't done in years. Mrs. Fenton's eyes got wide. Her mouth opened slightly.

"Oh! So you _do_ like Sam! I knew it!" Mrs. Fenton squealed. The glee drained from her face when she saw a tear drop onto the bed. "Honey, what's going on with you and Sam?"

Danny wiped the tears from his eyes and took a wavering breath. "Nothing. Nothing out of the ordinary. And that's exactly what's wrong." He turned wavering blue eyes to his mother. He felt the need to tell her everything that was going on in his life, but couldn't. Still, he began to see the restrains on some of his secrets get loose. "I really like Sam, Mom. I could go as far as to say that I lo-lo—oh you get it." The halfa put his head in his hands. "I want to tell her how I feel, but if she doesn't like me back, we could ruin our whole friendship! I don't know what to do Mom!" Another tear ran down his face.

_Man, have I lost it._ He thought forebodingly as Maddie wiped away that tear and hugged him.

"Oh, honey, Sam has been your best friend for over 10 years! One little question isn't going to ruin your friendship!" She pulled away from Danny and smiled. "But you know what; you'll never get any farther unless you tell her how you feel." Mrs. Fenton gave him a light punch on the arm. "And not just dance around the subject. How you _really_ feel." She stood up and walked towards the door a little.

"I'll let you go to sleep. But in the morning, you, me, and your father are going to talk about this." She walked more towards the door.

"Goodnight Mom."

"Good night, Danny."

-------------

He wanted too just close his eyes and forget about everything, but the young Fenton had too much on his mind. Danny found that tossing and turning wouldn't help him get to sleep, so he lay there, thinking yet again about what to do. _Maybe I could send her Secret admirer cards. _Danny rolled over. _Nah. That would be too predictable. I could listen to my Mom's advice and just tell her!_ Danny flipped his pillow so that he lay on the cool side. _But what if Sam doesn't like me back?_ He looked at his alarm clock and groaned. It was 5:25. He was most likely suffering from Jet Lag because of that stupid trip.

_Maybe I should go Goth. _That_ should get her attention._ He dismissed the thought. Black wasn't really his color. Danny had an idea. He climbed out of his bed and put on some decent clothing. He transformed and phased out of the window, leaving a small slip of paper behind.

When Mrs. Fenton came in to wake her son up, as usual, he wasn't there. She sighed and tried to tidy his room up a little. As she was making his bed, she discovered Danny's note. _How unlike him._ She pondered.

_Mom: _

_I've gone out to talk to Sam. Thanks for the advice. Wish me luck!  
Danny _

Mrs. Fenton contentedly sighed. _For once I actually know where my son is going to be when he sneaks out._ Maddie walked out of Danny's room and down into the kitchen where Jack was waiting.

----------------

The tapping on her door woke her up from a pleasant dream, and Samantha grumbled. "Come in." She rolled over, wondering but not really caring who it was.

"Sam?" The person behind the door said. "It's me. Danny. Can I come in?"

"Sure." She mumbled. Ugh. What time was it? She looked at her clock. "Hey, ghost boy. You know that it's only 5:35, right?"

"Yeah, I know." Danny phased through her door and sat down in one of her beanbag chairs. "I hate jet lag. Couldn't sleep."

"That makes two of us." She remarked, sitting up and yawning. Sam plucked at her black nightgown and tried to get it to sit right on her shoulders. "So what are you doing here anyway?" She questioned. Danny looked a little surprised. He'd expected her to be a lot more awake by now. And kinda angry.

"Well…uh…I had to talk to you." _Nice save, Fenton. Not. _

"You didn't get enough of that last night?" Sam remarked, her usual glum demeanor setting in. She got up and, leaving her blanket behind, walked into her closet to get dressed.

Danny watched her walk. Her hips swayed just the tiniest amount when she moved. It made him feel a little intoxicated. He shook his head violently and pushed the feeling away.

Meanwhile, Sam was getting out her favorite outfit, a black tank top with jeans. She put on her favorite boots and brushed her hair.

"So what are you going to be doing today?" She heard Danny call from her bedroom.

"Nothing yet. Why?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie or something."

Sam left her hair down as she walked out of her closet. "Well sure, as long as it not a chic—" She was interrupting by a strange cough, so she turned to ask him if he was OK. Danny was looking at his feet, and he felt like a turnip in a frying pan on the fourth of July. The blush was making him that hot.

"D-Danny, you didn't just ask me on a…on a date, did you?" He kicked the floor.

"Maybe." He muttered.

_Aw man. I just know she's going to say no. I know it. This was a bad idea._ Danny looked up. Sam had sat down on her bed, her eyes glazed over. She was obviously stunned by what he'd just said.

"Sam? Sam? Hello! Ghost to Sam!" Danny waved his hand in front of her face. She made no movement. Danny sat next to Sam on her bed. "Hello! Is anybody in there?" Nope. Still nothing.

-----------

She saw his lips move, she heard the words that came out of his mouth, but she couldn't believe it. Danny Fenton was asking her, Samantha Manson, on a date! Sam felt him sit next to her and watched as he waved his hands in front of her face.

Finally she closed her mouth and looked skeptically at Danny. "But, but I thought you liked _her_…"

"Excuse me?" He looked confused. And he was. He couldn't understand the sudden malice in her voice.

"_Paulina_." She spat. Her voice softened considerably as she continued, "I thought you were head-over-heels for that--that, _witch_ Paulina!"

He considered this for a moment. "Well, I was." He smiled as Samantha. "But I guess I got over her. Considering how I'm asking you on a date."

Sam pushed Danny so that he fell back onto the bed. "You're joking. Or I'm dreaming. Or both. This _can't_ be happening." Sam fell back herself, looking at the ceiling.

Danny, going ghost, floated above Sam's head. She looked into his glowing green eyes. "No, Sam, it's real. Very real. But if you find it so unbelievable, maybe I should take that as a no." He floated over to Sam's window.

"No! Danny, wait!" He stopped, and looked back at her, trying to hide his smile. "That's not what I meant! I'd love to see a movie with you!" His smile he could hide no longer. He just flat-out grinned.

"OK! I'll pick you up at 3:00! See you later, Sam!" He joyfully sped through the window and off towards home.

Landing in an alley where no one could see him, Danny Phantom turned back into Danny Fenton. He walked the next block home and saw his parents waiting on the steps. He didn't care that he was going to get in trouble. He grinned and spun around like a fangirl would before a concert.

Surprisingly, his parent's didn't look angry as he hopped, skipped, and jumped the next fifty feet home. Not at all. In fact, his mother looked positively glowing and his father was happy looking.

"Hey parents!" He said, giving his Dad and Mom a big hug. "It's an ugly overcast day today, and I feel great!" He jumped into the kitchen and pumped his arm into the air. Danny then ran up to his room, and his parents heard a very audible "WOOOOHOOOO!" Come from upstairs.

"I take it that his talk with Sam went well." Jack said, giving his wife a comforting hug too.

"No, you think?" Said Jazz as she walked into the kitchen. She examined the toaster and then dropped two slices of toast in.

"I think Danny's going to be in a very good mood for a while." Maddie remarked to her husband as she leaned up and pecked him on the cheek.

"GO DANNY! GO DANNY! YOU'RE GOING ON A DATE WITH SAM MANSON! YAAAAAHOOOOOOO!" Came the cry from Danny's room that could be heard halfway across town.

-------------------------

Date. That word sounded so strange as she thought about it. It was like, back then, people were speaking two different languages, yet they understood each other. _Such is the way of men._ Sam chuckled. _And women too_. Sam went downstairs and started to boil water to make tea. As she did this she chopped up some mushrooms and fried them in peanut oil. The aroma filled the air, and her cat, Molly, walked into the room mewing. Sam cooled of a mushroom and fed it to her calico. Then she sat down at the table and ate her lunch.

Sam grabbed a newspaper and looked at the movie listings. Amity Cheap Seats was playing old movies today. She looked at the list. Pirates of the Caribbean. Van Helsing. Troy. Lord of the Rings. Well, those sounded like good prospects. She clipped out the listing and pocketed it.

The teapot whistled, so Sam got up and steeped the tea into the boiling water. Then, she poured a mug full of that warm liquid and slowly sipped it. The Goth looked at her watch.

It was 2:30. She had a half hour until Danny got here. She grabbed some mints and popped one in.

Sam finished her tea and mushrooms. She grabbed a jacket and walked onto the front porch. It was pouring.

"What lovely weather!" She remarked happily as she sat down on her porch and waited for Danny to show up. She took out a brush and ran it through her hair one last time a Danny's silver car pulled up next to her mansion.

"Your chariot Milady!" He said, rolling down the passenger side window. Sam smiled and got in. She made sure that the buckle was in right. Then they drove off.

"You have your driver's license, right?" Sam asked. Danny nodded. "Just wondering."

They drove in silence for a while. Danny was concentrating on driving and Sam was watching the raindrops.

"So, Danny." Sam finally asked. "Why exactly are you taking me out on this date?" She smiled and leaned towards him slightly, and batted her eyes. Danny visibly gulped.

"Well, that's a long story, Sam. Uh...do you remember what I asked you last night?" He said, one of his hands phasing through the steering wheel.

"Sure...Um...Yeah, you asked me something about a...friend...that you liked, or something." _He's up to something._

Danny pulled his hand out of the car. "Well...erm...It's kinda hard to explain..."

At that moment they pulled into Amity Cheap Seats. Danny parked and got out of the car, Samantha following close behind. Danny and Sam walked into the theater. It was surprisingly empty.

"Well." Danny said with a sidewise glance at Samantha. "This is awkward."

"Yes it is." She agreed, chuckling. Sam reached into her pocket and brought out the newspaper clipping. "Here's the movies that sound good. Danny looked over Sam's list.

"Pirates of the Caribbean sounds good. Let's watch that!" The halfa took a 20 from his pocket and went over to the ticket booth.

"Two for Pirates of the Caribbean, please." He told the acne-ridden teenager behind the counter. She handed Danny the tickets and said, "That'll be $7.95." Danny forked over the cash and put the change in his pocket.

Danny grabbed Sam's hand and led her into the main area. She blushed a little but soon got used to the feeling. They handed over their tickets to another teenager and walked into the theater.

_Its bright now, but the lights will be out pretty soon. _Both Danny and Sam thought as they chose seats in the back. They shot glances at each other and blushed. _I wonder what'll happen when they do._

Polite conversation was started as the two waited for the previews to start. The highlights of both their summers were discussed, and laughed at, and marveled at, and so on and so forth. There was nobody else in the theater, not one other person, so they talked as loud as they wanted.

"It's like having your own personal theater." Danny remarked, putting his feet on the seat in front of him.

"Mine's bigger." Sam remarked, pulling the armrest up and resting her feet on the seat to her left. Danny looked at her strangely. "Uh, hello! Rich, remember!" To further her statement, she held up a hand that had a sapphire-gold ring on it.

"Oh yeah...you're rich." Danny smiled. "You certainly don't act rich. I forgot." Sam laughed. After her laughter faded away, the lights began to dim, and the movie previews started.

"This should be fun." Sam said absentmindedly. There were no good movies coming out next fall, she decided.

After the last preview ended, the movie finally started. Sam watched as the ship with the little girl, young Elizabeth, came up out of the fog. Having seen this movie previously, Danny knew what was going to happen, but Sam observed carefully, taking in every detail.

Knowing the beginning almost perfectly, Danny stretched his arms out and set them back down on the armrests. He shot a glance at Sam, who was watching Elizabeth take away Will's gold medallion. She looked at the screen like her life depended on it. Danny watched the movie for a while.

Soon it came to Danny's favorite part: Tortuga. Making sure Sam couldn't see what he was doing, the halfa mouthed the words to the movie he'd seen dozens of times.

**Jack Sparrow**: Scarlet.  
_(She slaps him)_  
**Jack Sparrow**: I'm not sure I deserved that.  
_(a blond woman approaches)_  
**Jack Sparrow**: Giselle.  
**Giselle**: Who was she?  
**Jack Sparrow**: What?  
_(She slaps him)_  
**Jack Sparrow**: I may have deserved that.

Sam and Danny were laughing their heads off. Danny because it was funny, Sam because...well...it was funny. So it was funny all around.

"That...was...so...hilarious..." Sam said between laughs that left her breathless.

They continued to watch the movie, laughing when it was funny, and soon it came to the big battle between the two ship Captains. Danny had been sitting still for an hour, so he stretched his arms again. This time, however, he put his left arm around Sam, and his right on her hand. Sam was caught up in the movie so she didn't really notice.

Sam shrieked at the end of the fight, when Barbossa got shot. She huddled against Danny and shivered. Danny blushed, but wrapped his free arm around Sam. He put his other arm on the Goth's upper back. They stayed like that until the movie was over and the credits rolled.

Danny couldn't move. Sam was so warm, and her hair smelled like flowers. He sat there, rather intoxicated yet again. The butterflies in his stomach began to flutter, as he enjoyed the sweet scent.

"Sam?" He said when he felt he could speak and not squeak.

"Yes?" She said flirtatiously. Danny started to sweat.

"Um...We have to go home now..." He moved his left arm so that he couldn't feel the muscles in her back anymore. Sam groaned. She had enjoyed feeling his body heat. She lifted her head up to glare at him. But she couldn't. She found herself looking right into Danny's ice cold blue eyes.

It was as though his eyes had frozen her. She could not move. She could hardly breathe. She was drowning in his eyes. But at the same time, she saw fire in the ice. She needed something. _I need him..._

Purple. Purple is all Danny saw, thought, felt. Danny had no excuse. Her eyes captivated him as much as his froze her. She was in his grasp...And yet he did nothing. _Come on you idiot! Make a move! Kiss her!_

Danny ran his fingers through her black hair. "Sam..." He said, looking at her and speaking for the first time since their eyes became fixated on each other. "Sam...there's something I have to tell you..." He rested his forehead on hers.

She smiled. "It's OK Danny; you don't have to tell me. I love you too." Their eyes slowly shut.

When their lips met, the last of their reservations, doubts, and restrictions dissipated. The world around them was non-existent. This was no fake-out. This was real.

Danny had to breathe first. He broke off the kiss and leaned his head against hers once more. "Sam...we really do need to go home. I think my parents will wonder where we are." Sam looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Danny laughed. "We at least need to get out of the theater. Then we can go somewhere else," He stood up, "If you want to." Samantha smiled.

"Sure Danny. Whatever you say." Danny wrapped his arms around her waist and they floated out of the theater, phasing through the ceiling.

As they floated, invisible, over Amity, Danny mentally kicked himself. "Aw man, I left my car at the theater!" They turned around and he zoomed as fast as he could back to the theater, Sam giggling at him the whole way.

-----------------

"I had fun today, Danny." Sam said as he dropped her off in her room. She blushed a little.

"I did too, Sam. That," he said as he winked at her, "was the best date I've ever been on." Sam blushed again.

"Well, Danny, I guess I'll see you later. Say hi to Tucker for me when you call him tonight." Sam waved goodbye and walked into her closet to change.

Danny sighed. This day had been great. He zoomed away in his car towards home, but he felt as though something was missing. He parked in the garage and locked the door behind him. The halfa looked around to see if anyone was watching.

"I'm going ghost!" He shouted. Two rings of light surrounded him and he found himself back in his black jumpsuit. He went intangible and passed through the garage door.

Invisible, Danny Phantom, once again roamed the skies. He floated along with the wind currents and thought about what had happened in the last two days.

Well, for starters, he'd gone to a foreign country for a week. That had been fun, even if he'd had to room with the two biggest jerks in jerk history. And he'd gotten his first kiss. His first _real_ kiss, at least. Fake-out-make-outs didn't count. He'd found out that his best friend loved him. Cool. So what was missing?

"Wait a minute…I remember now!"

Danny raced back to Sam's house and phased through the window. She was reading a Steven King novel on her bed, and looked up when she felt the room get cold.

"Hey Danny. What are you—" Sam hardly had time to get those words out before she felt his lips capture hers. She let out a muffled squeak, surprised, but slowly relaxed. His ghostly form felt cold to her skin, but all her senses were going crazy. She felt hot and freezing at the same time.

Danny abruptly ended the kiss and turned invisible, still cradling her in his arms. "I love you Sam." He whispered in her ear before zipping out her window.

Sam took in what just happened for a moment, and then laughed heartily. This was going to be a fun relationship. The CD player, which she had turned on, was about to finish Track 3 again. Sam listened to its lyrics as the song ended.

Danny sped home for the last time that night. He walked up into his room unnoticed by his family. While he lay down on his bed, he thought to himself:

_Things can't get any better than this. _


	2. Reunions

Danny hesitantly picked up the phone and speed-dialed Tucker's number. The phone rang exactly two times before he picked up.

"Hey Tuck! How's Florida?" Danny said, pulling the sheets over himself and sitting against the wall.

"OK, I guess. The weather here sucks. It's _way_ too hot." _That's not the only thing that's hot. _Danny grinned.

"I can believe it." Danny remembered the last time that he'd gone to Florida. The humidity was so bad you couldn't get any more soaked if you poured a bucket of water on your head. Not that you wouldn't want to.

"So how'd the spying go?" Tucker abruptly asked, not knowing what had happened that day. Danny smiled. "Horrible. I almost got found out because someone was calling my cell phone. And I wasn't spying!"

"Well then what would you call it, genius?" Tucker sarcastically remarked. "Sneaking into Sam's room, and watching everything she does, and almost getting found out? Yeah. There's got to be another name for that."

"Whatever Tucker. But at the very least I found out she looks _awesome_ in the moonlight." Danny smiled. No lies there. Sam looked sizzling that night, and it helped that she was only wearing a blanket. Danny propped his head up on his arm. "So when are you coming home?"

"Our plane leaves tomorrow morning. My schedule says we'll be back by noon."

"Jeez, what time are you leaving then?" Danny winced. It was a looong way home, even on a plane.

"I dunno. Maybe 4:00, or 4:30 at the latest." Danny felt his jaw drop. "But that's not for sure."

"Yeesh. That sounds awful."

"Tell me about it." There were sounds of rustling over the phone, and a muffled, "Yeah Mom, I'll hurry." came in through the line. "Hey, man, I gotta go. Mom's giving me the evil eye and muttering about 'roaming charges', or something."

Danny felt his shoulders droop. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." He glumly admitted.

"Keep it real, my homie."

"You too. Bye Tucker." Danny hung up his phone and turned off the light, then settled down and closed his eyes. He felt his grip on the world fade away, and drifted into the soft simplicity of dreams.

-----

Propping his head up with a pillow, Danny read one of his favorite books, Never Trust a Dead Man, in the sanctuary of his room. The stuffy July heat came through the open window as the sun peaked over its mountain-top blanket. The light fell upon Danny's face and turned his tanned skin into a blur of red, pink, and yellow. The room was silent, save for the occasional swish as a page was turned.

Danny seriously considered going ghost, just to cool off the room. Already, he laid on the covers, dressed only in an oversized T-Shirt and, of course, his boxers. And, even though it was only early morning, he was sweating. A salty drop trickled down his brow, and landed in his eye.

"Ah! Ow! Ow!" He jumped up and rubbed his eye as though his life depended on it. It hurt like a bee's sting. Tears tricked out of the eye, trying to remove the salt. Danny hopped up off his bed and grabbed the glass of water that was sitting on his bedside table. He stuck his head out the window and poured the contents of the glass onto his face.

The stinging in his eye subsided, as did the pressing July heat, and Danny sighed contently. He put the glass back on the table and shook the water out of his hair. He opened his book back up and started to read again.

When he felt another warm drop of sweat slowly make its way down his face, he hurriedly wiped it away. As the water remaining in his hair evaporated (Ooh, science word), the heat began to affect Danny yet again. He sighed with frustration.

A familiar blue ring appeared at his waist, and slowly his skin was covered with a black jumpsuit.

"At least it'll get cold in here soon." Danny Phantom thought as the jumpsuit clung to his skin with the goal to kill him from the heat. He plucked the fabric and it created a bubble around him, similar to the way a wet bathing suit does.

More beads of sweat formed on his brow and threatened to move down. He wiped them away with a gloved hand. The temperature change became more noticeable and no new beads of liquid cluttered his head. When Danny felt satisfied with the now drastically cooler temperature, the ring around his waist reunited him with his black hair and blue eyes.

Wet skin met cold air and Danny shivered, relishing the wonderful coolness. He set the paperback down on the nightstand and fell back onto the sheets, hands behind his head. The boy lay there for some time until he heard footsteps. He reluctantly sat up, grabbed the book, opened it and pretended to read.

"Danny?" He heard his sister's voice call through the door. Jazz turned the knob and stepped in. "Danny? Mom's got breakfa--Wow! Danny, do you have an air-conditioner in here?" She looked around and discovered nothing.

Danny, used to lying, simply said, "I left the windows open last night. It was cold in here this morning." He concentrated on the page, not actually reading but moving his eyes along as if he were. Jazz's eyes clouded with suspicion. She looked down at her near-naked brother, and noticed the shine on his abs, muscled though they were.

"Danny, you're covered in sweat. It couldn't have been _that_ cold." She remarked in a motherly tone, taking a step towards him and rolling her eyes. Of course, Jazz knew the exact reason why it was cold, and he knew the exact reason it was cold, but he didn't know she knew, and she didn't want him to know that she knew too.

Of course, since he didn't know she knew, he thought he was doing a great job keeping it hidden from his all-knowing older sister. _Will he ever learn that I'm never wrong?_

"The room was cold when I woke up, that's all." The young Fenton protested, never looking up from the book. Jazz rolled her eyes again.

"Fine. Be that way. Anyway, Mom's waiting downstairs with breakfast. For once it's not mutating. I suggest that you enjoy it while you can." She turned and walked out the door, stopping just outside the entrance to his room. "Or, if you're just gonna blow off what I'm saying, I _could_ get Mom to bring you up a plate..." She turned away.

Danny unglued his eyes from the book, finally. He gave his older sister a strange look. "Jazz...I think the heat is getting to you." He set his book down on the bed and sat up. "You're acting...nice...for once." He dodged a book that was thrown at him, and laughed. "Sure, Jazz, I'll have some breakfast, if it'll make you feel better." His sister smiled warmly and walked downstairs.

Danny, ever so annoyed for having to leave the nice, cool room, dragged himself off the bed and rummaged through his drawers and closet, looking for something clean and wearable. The usual white T-Shirt and jeans were in the laundry, so he grabbed a pair of shorts and a sleeveless shirt. He threw them on over the (clean) boxers and trudged downstairs in bare feet.

The Fenton clan was assembled around their kitchen table, and, for once, _not_ talking about ghosts. They were enjoying a perfectly normal Sunday breakfast, talking about normal things like normal people.

Danny wondered if they had been possessed. But, he sat down and waited for someone to notice he was awake.

-----------

The squealing tires made a permanent black mark on the pavement as the biker grabbed the brakes. The two-wheeler came to a jerky halt and Tucker Foley jumped off and wheeled his bike into the Fenton's yard. He looked at his PDA and swept his unlatched helmet off his head. It was 1:36. He was late.

Tucker chucked his helmet into his bike, promptly knocking it over. He ran to the door and rang the bell. Mrs. Fenton pulled the door open and smiled at him.

"Hello, Tucker! Did you enjoy your vacation?" A nod. "Here to see Danny?" Another nod. "He's upstairs in his room. Sam's here too!" She added as he burst past her and ran up the stairs. The door to Danny's room was closed, but he burst in anyway.

"Danny! Sam! I have great news!" He beamed as he took the last three steps into Danny's room. Tucker failed to notice the fact that Sam and the halfa were sitting right next to each other on the bed, and the fact that Danny had just whipped his arm off of Sam's shoulders.

"And that news is obviously something important, or you'd be in deep trouble." The Goth remarked, leaning back into the headboard and giving her friend a deep-trouble-being-that-I'd-kill-you look.

"MY PARENTS ARE GETTING ME A CAR!" He cried, tears of joy brimming in his eyes.

Sam turned red, and steam threatened to blow out through her ears. Danny's eyes flashed green.

"YOU INTERRUPTED OUR CONVERSATION TO TELL US THAT!" The two shouted at the same time. Sam fell back into the chair, exasperated, and Danny stood up and grabbed Tucker by the top of his ear. He threw him onto the bed and shut the door. Sam heard an audible click from the doorknob, and when Danny turned around, she noticed that it had been locked.

"What was that for?" She asked him, who was advancing toward the African-American with a malevolent aura about him. Without an answer, Danny grabbed a pillow and tossed it to the vegetarian he so pined for.

"Well, if I murder him, then we'll need time to get out of the country, change our names, get married, and bury the body." Sam turned a deep crimson color as the halfa smirked at her.

"A-HA! There's your blushy moment!" The convicted remarked as Danny started wailing on him with the pillow, slapping his free hand to his mouth simultaneously. Even though he was getting beat up by one of the strongest guys he knew, a rouge smirk still played across Tucker's features.

"I didn't--I mean--I--URG! Never mind." Danny thwacked Tucker harder. Sam got up and gave the halfa good one across the cheek with her fluffy upholstery.

"That," she remarked as she crossed the room and sat back in the computer chair, "was for spilling."

"Excuse me for telling the truth." The pillow fight forgotten, Tucker sat up and beamed.

"I knew it! I knew you'd get together someday!" He pulled the two into a very one-sided group hug and dodged the blow both sent at him, causing the two to fall over onto each other.

Cue the blushing.

"But seriously, guys, my parents are getting me a car! A CAR! Can you believe it?" He heaved a happy sigh and closed his eyes. The red beret on his head fell off and, quick as lightning, he swept it back on, not bothering to open his eyes or look up.

"Well," Sam stated matter-of-factly, "You _do_ have a license now. What's so important about getting a car anyway?" She crossed her arms. "I have, like, six."

"Yeah, well, you're rich!" Tucker snapped. "Anyway, it's a really nice car, and I'm getting it, and everything will be just honkey-dory."

Danny laughed out loud. "Honkey-dory? You're kidding, right?"

Tucker ignored this and began rambling about cars. Sam and Danny rolled their eyes at the same time before they plunked back down on the bed, staring into space. Noticing that his audience was gone, Tucker bent over the two in a detective-like fashion.

"So..." His left eyebrow shot up well past the rims of his glasses. "What were you talking about?" Tucker smiled coyly and straightened, crossing his arms.

"Talking? Who was talking?" Danny said. Sam hit him in the ribs with her elbow. "OW! Oh, just...stuff." Danny said, rubbing his side.

"Smooth." Tucker laughed.

Danny beaned him with a pillow.


End file.
